Usability Evaluations and Improvements for an Online Volunteered Map Feedback Application. Jonathan E. Van Dusen University of Waterloo

Transcription

1 Usability Evaluations and Improvements for an Online Volunteered Map Feedback Application Jonathan E. Van Dusen University of Waterloo

2 Introduction Web 2.0: dynamic platform allowing real-time content creation and collaboration Results: Volunteered Geographic Information (Goodchild 2007) Geoweb of online mapping applications (Haklay, Singleton, & Parker 2008) Basemaps used in online map mash-ups Government mapping data available for public use Increasing use of smartphones for spatial data collection and VGI applications How to harness this for basemap updates?

3 The Feedback App Developed by Esri Canada Suggest corrections to data from Canada s Geofoundation Exchange (GFX) Supports Community Map of Canada project Users can draw points, lines, and polygons; attach files (e.g., photographs); and view and comment on other users feedback Suggestions are forwarded to a custodian for each participating community Built using HTML5, ArcGIS API for JavaScript Beta version using new Web AppBuilder for ArcGIS

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5 What is Usability? A quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use (Nielsen 2012b) Defined by Nielsen (2012b) as being dependent on five factors: Learnability, Efficiency, Memorability, Frequency of user error, User satisfaction Important for VGI and public participation, when non- GIS professionals are involved (Jones and Weber 2012) Common usability evaluation methods (Marsh and Haklay 2010): Cognitive walkthroughs Heuristic evaluations Field testing

6 Methods Usability inspection Devices used: Google Nexus 7 tablet, Google Nexus 5 smartphone, HTC Desire C smartphone, third-generation ipod touch, desktop computer, touchscreen laptop Similar to cognitive walkthroughs, heuristic evaluation Field test Undergraduate class participation activity, March 17 th 2014 Task: logging winter tree damage on UW campus Tests conducted using mobile data connections Qualitative questionnaire, evaluating task success and user satisfaction

7 Results Usability Inspection Issue #1 Show/Hide buttons for map layers Button labels changed on click, in addition to change in background colour (and checkmark in IE) Heuristic: Visibility of system status: the system should always keep users informed about what is going on (Nielsen 1995) Flip-flop buttons (Cooper et al. 2007) Changed to checkboxes, which are recommended for selection (Microsoft, n.d.-b; Google, n.d.-a)

8 Results Usability Inspection Issue #2 Visual feedback needed for buttons Appearance changes on mouse-over ( hover ) and click Provides sense of pliancy (Cooper, Reimann, & Cronin 2007); recommended by Microsoft (n.d.-a), Apple (2013), and Google (n.d.-b) Important on mobile (lower performance) Heuristic: Visibility of system status (Nielsen 1995) Button states added using CSS :hover and :active selectors

9 Results Usability Inspection Issue #3 Map did not zoom to user s GPS location during GPSbased point creation Required additional panning and zooming by user Costly on mobile (performance, mobile data costs) Heuristic: Flexibility and efficiency of use : actions should be accelerated where possible (Nielsen 1995) Fix: map.centerandzoom() method in ArcGIS JS API No new interface elements

10 Results Field Test Questionnaire Likert-scale questions ( Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neutral, Agree, Strongly Agree ) and open-ended questions, for each area of functionality Map functions, feedback creation/viewing, and PDF reports, general ease of use 25 responses Operating systems: Android (11 users), ios (9 users), BlackBerry (4 users), Windows (1 user); 14 devices purchased in 2013 Android users more likely to report dissatisfaction with application performance (4 users vs. 0 users for ios)

11 Results Field Test Issue #1 Low accuracy of points created automatically (i.e., point placed at mobile GPS location) Likely due to GPS signal occlusion from campus buildings, low accuracy of mobile GPS sensors Workaround: app now uses GPS only to zoom to user s location; points must always be created manually

12 Results Field Test Issue #2 Full-screen feedback form did not close after point creation Result: users inadvertently submitted multiple feedback points for the same ground observation Unclear whether feedback submission had completed Fixed: bug where the code to close the form was disabled when the form was created

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15 Recommendations Ensure that interface elements provide sufficient feedback on the status of their function Visual feedback especially important on mobile Use mobile GPS location to support manual feature creation but not replace it Locate button available in ArcGIS API for JavaScript Consider providing native mobile applications (Nielsen 2012a, Budiu 2013) and/or allowing offline map access Functions for browser LocalStorage available in ArcGIS API for JavaScript

16 References Apple. (2013). UIKit user interface catalog: Buttons. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from UIButton-SW1 Budiu, R. (2013). Mobile: Native Apps, Web Apps, and Hybrid Apps. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from Cooper, A., Reimann, R., & Cronin, D. (2007). About face 3: The essentials of interaction design. Indianapolis: Wiley. Goodchild, M. F. (2007). Citizens as sensors: The world of volunteered geography. Geojournal, 69(4), doi: /s y Google. Android developers: Checkboxes. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from Google. Android developers: Touch feedback. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from Haklay, M., Singleton, A., & Parker, C. (2008). Web mapping 2.0: The neogeography of the GeoWeb. Geography Compass, 2(6), doi: /j x Jones, C., & Weber, P. (2012). Towards usability engineering for online editors of volunteered geographic information: A perspective on usability. Transactions in GIS, 16(4), doi: /j x Marsh, S. L., & Haklay, M. (2010). Evaluation and deployment. In M. Haklay (Ed.), Interacting with geospatial technologies (1st ed., pp. 199). West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell. Microsoft. Guidelines for buttons. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from Microsoft. Guidelines for check boxes. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from Nielsen, J. (1995). 10 usability heuristics for user interface design. Retrieved May 12, 2014, from Nielsen, J. (2012). Mobile sites vs. apps: The coming strategy shift. Retrieved October 6, 2014, from Nielsen, J. (2012). Usability 101: Introduction to usability. Retrieved October 5, 2014, from introduction-to-usability/ Template Design by SmileTemplates.com

17 Thank you!